Looping-machine



W. J. STEERE.

LOOPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.2I, I918.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

1 327,638, Patented Jan. 13, 1920.

I V 'J Steele.

Mom/141315 W. J. STEERE.

LOOPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION men SEPLZI. ma.

1,327,638. Patented Jan. 13, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- lllllllllllllll W illlllr inuulnlllm 24 2 V- c]: Glee/'6 WILLIAM JAMES STEERE, OF ROCKWOOD, TENNESSEE.

LOOPING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 13, 1920.

Application filed. September 21, 1918. Serial No. 255,157.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. Srnnnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rockwood, in the county of Roane and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Looping-Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an attachment for looping machines, and more particularly to a device for joining two edges of a knitted fabric, mainly for closing the gap or opening left in the toerportion of a seamless stocking.

The objectof this invention is the provision of means for cutting or eliminating automatically the chain thread made by a looping machine at the vacant intervals, one end of the fabric being attached to the looper points for the needle to sew. It is to be understood that there is a large percentage of time lost by the operator having to break this chain by hand, and also very frequently there is a long length of this chain left inside of the hose or stocking, which is very uncomfortable to the wearer,

and to eliminate these disadvantages I have produced my simple and eflicient device as hereinafter specifically described and fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

lVith the foregoing object in view, other objects and advantages of my invention will appear in the following specification and be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a device constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig.' 2 is an inverted plan view of the device.

Fig. device.

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view taken on line l4.-, Fig. 3.

Fig. is a perspective view of the 3 is a view in side elevation of the guard plate with the scraper blade attached thereto.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 1 designates the base of the bracket 2, by means of which bracket2 the device. is attached to the stationary part of a looper dial. The base part or portion 1 of the bracket 2 is provided with an aperture 3, through which any suitable securing means,

shaftv 7 is secured against rotation by the set screw 8. A fixed collar'9 is mounted upon the shaft-7 between the portions 6 (Fig. 3)v and this collar prevents the shaft 7 from having any considerable vertical play within the hub portion 6, even if the set screw 8 should become loose.

Mounted upon the shaft 7, below the hub portion 6, is a swinging or rocker arm 10, which arm 10 is provided at its outer end with a spring-pressed pawl 11 (Figs 1 and 2) and at its inner end it is provided with an adjustable link 12 (Fig. 1) which link may be suitably connected to an actuating mechanism by a movement, the rocker arm 10, carrying the spring-pressed pawl 11, may be actuated for imparting an intermittent rotary movement to the ratchet plate 13, by reason of the pawl 11 engaging the teeth 14 of saaid plate 13, as the rocker arm 10 is actuate (A brush 15 is mounted upon the shaft 7 and through the medium of pins 16, extend ing into the brush, as shown in Fig. 3, and through the ratchet plate 13 (Figs. 1 and 3) the brush is prevented from independent rotary movement with respect to the ratchet plate 13; the ratchet plate and the brush moving in unison. The brush 15 is provided with bristles 17 which bristles pass over the upper or inner face of guard plate 18 and scrape over or against the scraper blade 19. The guide plate is provided with a hub 20, which hub is fixedly secured upon the lower end of shaft 7, preferably by any suitable method, such as welding, and the inner end 19 of the scraper blade 19 is embedded in the hub portion 20 of the guard plate 18. The scraper blade 19 is secured at an angle to a vertical plane so that, while the ends of the bristles will hereinafter described, with a knife edge 22, to further increase the efliciency of the de vice by cutting and cleaning the bristles of any loose fabric or yarn clinging thereto.

The cutter device 21 comprises a stationary blade 23, retained in a socket or pocket 24;, by means of a set screw 25, carrying an overhanging washer 26. This stationary blade 23 of the cutting device is provided with a knife edge 27, formed upon its lower end. A shaft 28 extends from the bracket 2 and carries a pi-votally mounted arm 29. In the inner face of the arm 29 there is formed a blade-receiving socket 30 (Fig. 2) and in this socket 30 is blade 31, that has on its lower end a cutting edge 27 cooperating with the cutting edge 27 of blade 23 of the cutter device for severing the chain or skein of yarn, or a thread. The blade 31 of the arm 29 is held in the socket 30 by means of the set screw 25, on which is washer 26. On the outer end of shaft 28 is a set collar 32, and interposed between the apertured lug 34.

A plurality of round-headed screws 37 are secured to the lower or under face of ratchet plate 13, and on the outer end of the arm 29 is a round-headed screw 38. This screw is held in an adjusted position upon arm 29 by set screw 39. As the head of screw 38 is positioned in the path of movement of the round heads on screws 37, it will. be obvious that the heads of screws 37 will, ride over the head of screw 38, and will depress the spring-held arm 29 each time a screw 37 passes over the screw carried by said arm; immediately upon the screw 37 having passed over the screw 38, spring 36 will pull back the arm 29 so that there will be a gap or partial open condition of the cutter device, by reason of the blades being partly opened, as shown clearly in Fig. 3, when the cutter device is not operating to cut the chain or thread.

A spring-pressed sectional or locking pawl l-0 is carried upon lugel of the bracket structure 2, and this lug serves to secure the ratchet plate 13 from accidentally rotating backwardly.

A guiding blade 12 is interposed between the bristles and the cutter device 21, and has its inner end 43 (Fig. 2) bent at substantially right angles to the body of the blade, and fastened by screw 4: 1 to the bracket,

so as to prevent the bristles from entering between the blades 23 and 31 of the cutter device, although blade 42 will allow of the three-d or chain tobe swept under the same by the bristles 17, and between the cutting edges 27 and 27 of the cutter device.

Having described the several parts of my attachment the specific operation is as follows:

It is to be understood that when connecting my attachment for cutting the chain made by a looping machine at the vacant intervals between the hose or stocking, it is very desirable to. have it set on the loopermachine in such a position that the blades 23 and 31 will have the least chance of doing damage to the brasses in which the looper points are inserted. hence my reason for puting these blades just back of these brasses instead of over the top of same. Now, as these brasses on the ordinary looper machine are of such a delicate nature, and their good condition so necessary to the perfect operation of the looper mechanism, it is obvious that to move the chain (which lies down close to the brasses) in between the blades 23 and 31, it will be necessary to use a member composed of material other than metal, hence I have used a bristle brush 15, as I deem such a brush is the most advantageous. As the chain is liable to occur at any place along the circle of points near the brasses, because the hose are sometimes of difierent widths, and also because the wish of the operator is to put them on the points any where, regardless of the size, the brush 15 makes the cutting of the chain possible at any point where the chain occurs. The blades 23 and 31 are adjusted so that when they are open (Fig. 3) the opening is on the level with the top of the brasses or moving part of the dial, of a looping machine (the blades are now ready to receive the chain and said chain lies close to the brasses, therefore, the end of the bristles 17 of the brush must be set down very close to the points and brasses to come in contact with the chain to swcep it in between the blades of the cutter). This operation might be possible but for the fact that the chain possesses enough elasticityto allow brush 15 to carry it out of its true course and in between the blades of'the cutter.

, I- have provided the scraper blade 19, acting upon the lower ends of the bristles, 17 so as to clean said bristles or rid thesame of the chain it it happens to stick to the bristles.

when stripping the chain in between the blades 23 and 31, of the cutter, the bristles of the brush 15 move very close to the cutting edges 27 and'2'? of the blades, and if not protected might be injured by getting between theblades and the bristles of,v the ssi lae a has rea s e off far enough to prevent them from coming in contact with the cutter-blades. The blade 42 also serves the purpose of keeping the chain from rising above the opening between the blades of the cutter when said blades are open.

To drive my device, any kind of a device will do, inasmuch as it is immaterial whether the dial moves continuously by gears or by ratchet movement; however, I have shown as the preferred form, the ratchet idea, as explained. The looper dial moves very slowly, one point to a revolution of its drive shaft, so that it is not necessary to move the brush faster than will take care of the chain and its elasticity. I find that the ratchet movement is fast enough; to secure its movement pitman or link 12 is connected to the necessary parts of the looper machine, not shown.

I do not find it necessary for the blades of the cutter to go through the motion of cutting at every movement of the dial in all cases, as in case of a machine that would be made for very thin work, the points might be twenty-four to the inch, and in that case there would be such a small amount of chain passing by that it would only wear the blades out sooner, without accomplishing better results. headed screws 37, which can be inserted or attached to the ratchet plate 13 at desired intervals to operate one to one or one to four as the number of points to the inch per square. Some machines are six points to the inch, and in that case, I would have to move blades one to one.

The heads of screws 37 come in contact with the rounded head of screw 38, and the object of this function is to cause the cutting edge 27 of blade 31 and the cutting edge 27 of blade 23 to close together when the heads of the screws 37 pass over the head of screw 38. On the next movement of the ratchet plate or wheel 13, the head of a screw 37 passes beyond screw 38 and the cutter bracket is free to rise, through the action of spring 36, and will allow the blades to open, as shown (Fi n 3) for the next operation of cutting the c ain.

What I claim is:

l. In a device of the class described, the combination with a bracket, a shaft mounted upon said bracket, of a guard plate fixedly secured to said shaft, a guiding blade attached to said guard blade, a brush interposed between the bracket aud guiding plate Hence I have used the roundand mounted upon said shaft, means for rotating said brush, a cutter device carried by said bracket, and means on said cutter device and cooperating with said brush for operating the cutter device as said brush is moved with respect to said guard plate.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a bracket, of a shaft secured upon said bracket, a guard plate pro vided with a blade fixedly secured to the lower end of said shaft, a brush on said shaft and positioned contiguous to said guard plate and blade, cutting means on said bracket, and means for operating said brush and simultaneously actuating said cutter device.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a bracket, a shaft journaled upon said bracket, of guard means carried by said shaft, brushing means carried by said shaft contiguous to said guarding means and cutting means carried by said bracket, and means cooperating with said brushing means for actuating the cutting means when said brushing means is moved with respect to said guarding means. I

4. In a device of the class described, the combination with a support, of a shaft carried by said support, guarding means provided with a scraper blade carried by said shaft, a cutting device contiguous to said support, a brush carried by said shaft and positioned against said guarding means, said brush passing over said guarding means and said blade, and means supported by said shaft and moving with said brush and cooperating with said cutting device for intermittently or alternately operating the cutting device as said brush is moved or operate 5. In a device of the class described, the combination with a support, a shaft carried by said support, of guarding means secured to said shaft, a brush rotatably mounted upon said shaft between said guarding means and support, a cutter device carried by said support to one side of said brush, a guiding blade interposed between said brush and said cutting device, and means on said cutting device and cooperating with means moving with the brush for alternately or intermittently operating the cutting device as said brush is rotated.

I In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

WILLIAM JAMES STEERE. 

